For the bleffed Refurrec tion. fwallowed up in Villory. It fhould mortify in us all fenfual Satisfaction, that our Bodies may become obedient and tractable to the Motions of God's Holy Spirit. It fhould comfort us upon the Death of our Friends and Relations, who are not perished, but fallen afleep, and fhall awake again in greater Perfection and Glory. It fhould arm us against the Fear of our own Death, fince we are affured, that, after our Bodies are crumbled into Duft, and become the Food of Worms, they shall be quickened at the general Refurrection, and be changed and made glorified Bodies. Above all, it fhould make us exercise ourselves to keep Confciences void of Offence both to God and Man, that we may not forfeit that bleffed Immortality of our whole Man, Body and Soul, which our bleffed Saviour hath promised to all those that perfevere in his Service to the End of their Days. The PRAYERS. I. Almighty God, who, through thy only begotten Son Jefus Christ, haft overcome Effects of Death, and opened unto us the Gate of EverChriff's lafting Life; I humbly befeech thee, that, as by thy fpecial Grace preventing me, thou dost put into my Mind good Defires, fo by thy continual Help I may bring the fame to good Effect, through Jefus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, World without End. Amen. II. I be II. tue of thy Refurrection all the Dead fhall Profeffion rife, Bad as well as Good; all Glory be to thee, of our by whom Death is fwallowed up in Victory. the Refur I believe, O Almighty Jefu, that by thy rection. Power all shall rife with the fame Bodies they had on Earth; that thou wilt recollect their fcattered Duft into the fame Form again, that our Souls fhall be re-united to our Bodies, that we shall be judged both in Body and Soul for the Sins committed by both; that the Bodies of the Wicked fhall be fitted for Torment, and the Bodies of the Saints changed in Quality, and made glorified Bodies, immortal and incorruptible, fitted for Heaven, and eternally to love and enjoy thee, for which glorious Vouchsafement I will always praise and love thee. Amen. A L III. rection to Lmighty God, whofe Works are great Forablef and marvellous, whofe Ways are juft fed Refurand true; thou art infinite in Power, and there- eternal fore nothing is impoffible to thee; thou art Life. abundant in Goodnefs and Truth, and therefore whatever thou haft promised fhall come to pass. Fit and prepare me, O Lord, by the Affistance of thy Grace, for that bleffed Immortality of Body and Soul, which thou haft made the Portion of all thofe that love and fear thee. Let me never defile my Body by fenfual and brutish Lufts, fince thou haft defigned to make it immortal and incorruptible. Let me never fink under the Burthen of my present Infirmi ties and Miseries; fince thou haft graciously promised to reward my Patience and Submiffion with a glorious Body, no more liable to Pains, or Difeafes, or Diffolution. Let me not immoderately grieve for thofe Friends and Relations that fleep in the Lord, because they fhall awake at the laft Day in greater Perfection and Glory. Let not the Thoughts of Death be any longer uneafy to me, for that it reduceth my Body to Duft; I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he fhall ftand upon the Earth at the laft Day; and tho' after my Skin, Worms destroy my Body, yet in my Flefh fhall I fee God. Oh, let thefe great and precious Promises fo influence my Life and Conversation, that I may escape the Corruption that is in the World through Luft, and by purifying myself as thou art pure, may partake of the Divine Nature in thy heavenly Kingdom, through the Merits of Jefus Chrift my Lord and Saviour. Amen. CHAP. XVIII. St. Mark the Evangelift, W HAT Festival doth the Church celebrate this Day? A. That of the Evangelift St. Mark, Q. What mean you by an Evangelist? A. The Name was at first given to all those that preached the Gofpel. But afterward it came came to be confined to thofe Four that writ the History of the Life and Preaching of our Saviour Jefus Chrift: Whose four Gospels make Part of the facred Canon of Scripture. Q: What do mean by the Word Gofpel? A. It is of Saxon Original, in which Lan guage it fignifies a good Word, and answers to Evalyov in Greek, which imports good News, or good Tidings. In the facred Use of the Word there seems to be a Figure very common and ordinary, whereby what fignifies good News is fet to denote the History of that good News; as the History of the Birth, Life, Actions, Precepts, Promises, Death, Refurrection, and Afcenfion of Christ, is that Gofpel, which of all other Relations we Chriftians ought to look upon as good Tidings of great Joy. Q. Of what Authority are the four Gospels that make Part of the facred Canon of Scripture ? A. The whole Church of Christ hath received them from the Beginning, as the genuine Writings of thofe Apostles and Evangelifts whofe Names they bear; and hath testified that they were delivered to them by the Apostles as the Foundation and Pillar of their Faith. They Iren, adv. were owned as Writings divinely inspired; Hær. lib. whereupon Copies of thefe Gofpels were car- 3. c. 2. ried by the Difciples of the Apostles, or Apoftolic Men, to all the Churches they converted or eftablished; they were read from the Beginning in all Chriftian Affemblies on the Lord's Day, and cited in the fecond Century for the Juft. Mar. Confirmation of the Faith, and the Convic- Apol. z, tion of Hereticks. Which is a fufficient Proof, that they are the genuine Works of those Apoftles Hieron. præf. in Marc. 10. Apofles and Evangelifts, whofe Names they bare, and worthy to be received as the Records of our Faith. Q. What Account have we of St. Mark? A. He was doubtlefs born of Jewish Parents, originally defcended of the Tribe of Levi. And this is very much confirmed by his Style, wherein he ufes the Hebrew Manner of expreffing himself; neither does his Roman Name suggest any Evidence to the contrary, because it was customary with the Jews, when they travelled into foreign Parts, especially into the European Provinces of the Roman Empire, to adapt to themselves an Appellation of that Kind. He was converted by fome of the Apoftles, probably by St. Peter, to whom he was a conftant Companion in his Travels; fupplying the Place of an Amanuenfis, and interpreter. Q. What Need was there of an Interpreter? A. Though the Apoftles were divinely inspired, and had the Gift of Languages confer1 Cor. 12. red upon them; yet was the Interpretation of Tongues a Gift more peculiar to fome than others. For Christian Affemblies in those Days being frequently made up of Men of different Nations, who could not understand what the Apostles or others had fpoken to the Congregation; fome were enabled to interpret what 1 Cor. 14. others did not understand; and to speak it to them in their own native Language. it is probable it might be St. Mark's Talent to expound St. Peter's Difcourfes after this Manner. 27. And Q. Where was St. Mark fent to plant Chriftianity? A. He |